Sarah’s oil: Too Young, Too Rich, Too Black: The Legal War Over a Child’s Fortune

by Harold Belles

At just ten years old, Sarah Rector became one of the wealthiest children in America, an extraordinary twist of fate for a Black girl born into the shadows of slavery and segregation in early 20th-century Oklahoma. But what should have been a story of triumph quickly unraveled into a national scandal, a legal battle, and a painful lesson in how America responds to Black wealth and Black innocence. Too Young, Too Rich, Too The Legal War Over a Child’s Fortune is a gripping, emotionally charged companion to the acclaimed film Sarah’s Oil. This guide goes beyond the screen, diving deep into the real historical records, court cases, and cultural tensions that shaped Sarah Rector’s life and legacy. With meticulous detail and raw human insight, author Harold Belles unearths the full weight of a story long buried by how a Black child’s oil fortune ignited a legal and racial firestorm, revealing the hidden machinery of American power and prejudice.

46 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2025

Reviews

[Barbara Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too Young, Too Rich, Too Black

First, on page 42 of the Kindle version, Sarah's father was referred to as Rose. Rose was her mother; Joseph was her father.

Second, I need to stress how important it is for every living American, no matter age, race, or gender, to read this 40+ page guide to the movie "Sarah's Oil." I am a 70 year old white woman, but I am ashamed of the white man society of the early 20th Century America, and what they did to Black and Native American children who became rich. The government "gave" these children allotments of Oklahoma land that was, by their standards, worthless, rocky, prairie land, not even suitable for farming. Then, when oil, black gold, was struck on that land, the government took over, assigning white guardianship to the children. I am too angry to even give a thorough review because this outrageous treatment of Sarah and other children like her was totally unjustifiable. I respect Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Dubois, and the N.A.A.C.P. for how they tried to help Sarah. I am glad that she received a great education at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. But I will never be happy about the way Sarah, her family, and others like them, were treated by white rich men. I gave this book a 5 star rating. If the movie is anywhere near as good as the guide, then there probably won't be a dry eye in the theatre.

[Rhonda A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the book before going to see the movie. The movie dramatizes this story much more than the book does.
Both versions of the story show just how horrible black people were treated and how you could own land as long as it was worthless. Once minerals were found, those rights didn’t belong to a young black girl, until she fought for what was rightfully hers.

[Caldon Murrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hidden truth

A quote earlier says it all, “a country where promises are never kept”. A government who wants to remove history and DEI only wants to continue the marginalization of the non-white masses.

[Nina Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too repetitive and hard to read.

[Kristyn Gebauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre format, reads like a series of articles on the same subject. Repetitive

[Rhonda Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

History

This book is very educational it definitely made me think about things . My daughter & I are going to watch the movie although I have read the book.